Business

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has delivered another strong quarterly performance, with higher premium income and expanding assets driving a 31% year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 10,098 crore for the September quarter.The state-run insurer’s premium income rose 5.5% to Rs 1,26,930 crore from Rs 1,20,326 crore a year earlier, even as…

Shares of State Bank of India (SBI) are witnessing renewed investor optimism following its strong September-quarter performance, prompting top brokerages to raise their price targets by as much as 20% over the next year.Analysts said the lender’s steady profit growth and improving asset quality have strengthened investor confidence, while derivatives data indicated fresh bullish positions…

The average long-term US mortgage rate rose slightly this week, snapping a four-week decline that had brought borrowing costs to their lowest level in over a year, AP reported.Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said on Thursday that the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage ticked up to 6.22% from 6.17% a week earlier. A year…

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on Thursday presented its suggestions to a Parliamentary panel reviewing proposed changes to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), aimed at strengthening and streamlining the insolvency resolution framework.The Select Committee of Parliament, headed by BJP MP Baijayant Panda, is examining the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill,…

TVS Motor Company on Thursday said it has entered into agreements to divest its stake in bike-taxi aggregator Rapido for Rs 287.93 crore, marking a monetisation of its earlier investment in the Bengaluru-based mobility platform, PTI reported.In an exchange filing, the two- and three-wheeler maker said it has signed agreements with Accel India VIII (Mauritius)…

Markets regulator Sebi has proposed a major revamp of the certification framework for securities market professionals, aiming to expand participation and upgrade skill standards in line with evolving market needs.In a consultation paper released on Thursday, Sebi suggested broadening the definition of “Associated Persons” to include not only those employed by intermediaries and regulated entities…

US stocks opened slightly lower on Thursday as investors assessed another round of corporate earnings reports in the absence of fresh government data due to the ongoing shutdown. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat, and the Nasdaq composite declined 0.2% in early trade, AP reported.Market sentiment was weighed down…

AstraZeneca reported a sharp rise in quarterly profit on Thursday, with strong US growth and robust sales of cancer drugs driving a 77% year-on-year jump in net earnings to $2.53 billion for the third quarter.The British pharmaceutical major said group revenue grew 12% to $15.2 billion, led by oncology treatments that now account for nearly…

The Bank of England (BoE) on Thursday kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4%, opting for caution ahead of the UK government’s upcoming budget later this month that is expected to include tax increases, AFP reported.Governor Andrew Bailey said the central bank remained confident that rates were on a “gradual path downwards” but stressed…

MUMBAI: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged banks to ensure that customers are able to get their work done in branches speaking in the local language. She also called upon banks to tweak HR policies to give weightage to local language proficiency during appraisals. She asked banks to restore the human connect in customer service,…